The Sri Lanka Embassy in Brazil conducted a diplomatic briefing in the Embassy premises on 12th September 2013 to speak about the important developments that is being taking place in Sri Lanka after the dawn of peace. The briefing was attended by over 150 guests from the diplomatic and business communities as well as officers of the Foreign Service of Brazil. After welcoming the invitees a short video about Sri Lanka was screened.
The diplomatic briefing was aimed to cover the areas including the enhancement of trade and commerce related relations between Sri Lanka and Latin American Countries, the improved social environment of Sri Lanka, the international pressure on Sri Lanka due to false propaganda of the sections of the international Tamil Diaspora and other Tamil Lobbies and an awareness about Commonwealth Business Forum.
The diplomatic briefing was followed by a briefing on Commonwealth Business Forum in Colombo, a promotional programme for Ceylon Tea and the launching of the new official website of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Brazil.
The event commenced with an informative presentation named “Dawn of a New Era” conducted by the Deputy Head of Mission, Major General Kamal Gunaratne, who explained the audience the practical aspect of the Humanitarian Operation and the facilitation of the reconstruction of affected areas by the Government of Sri Lanka. The presentation further explained the manner in which the Humanitarian Operation was conducted and the way which the Policy of Zero Civilian Casualties was implemented, the way in which the humanitarian assistance was carried out when handling internally displaced people, the method in which the Sri Lankan Government carried out the demilitarization of over 12, 000 ex-combatants and the facilitation of their re-integration into society after rehabilitation, the process of the implementation of the recommendations by LLRC and the development of the Road Map for 5Rs (Reconstruction, Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Reconciliation) by the Government of Sri Lanka.
The Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Brazil, H.E. Raja A. Edirisuriya enunciated the myriad of opportunities available in the island for investors, businessmen and entrepreneurs. He further highlighted the role of Sri Lanka in hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting and the Commonwealth Business Forum scheduled to be held in November 2013 in Colombo and invited all Ambassadors and other members of the diplomatic community to encourage the business communities in their respective countries to arrange business delegations to attend the same.
Eventually, the Official Website of the Sri Lankan Mission in Brazil was launched by H.E. Raja A. Edirisuriya. One of the goals of the Sri Lanka Diplomatic Mission in Brazil aims to achieve by launching the new website is to provide potential investors, exporters and interested members of the business community the credible information regarding the economic opportunities in Sri Lanka. Also, the new website is an initiative to counter false propaganda carried out against Sri Lanka by pro-LTTE lobbyists and some sections of the Tamil Diaspora. The link to the site is http://srilankaembassy.com.br/index.html.
The promotion of Ceylon tea in a region where consumption of coffee is dominant is aimed with the intension of increasing the export of Ceylon tea to this region. The Event also included an informative presentation on Ceylon Tea in order to educate the invitees regarding the health benefits of tea underscoring Ceylon Tea as the world’s finest tea.
In the reception at the end, all attendees were presented with a gift pack containing Ceylon Tea as well as information brochures and booklets regarding tea, tourism, the humanitarian operation and current rebuilding efforts in Sri Lanka.
